Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger alleges he was racially abused by Pachuca’s Gustavo Cabral

Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Pachuca in the Club World Cup on Sunday was overshadowed by an incident deep in stoppage time of the match as Los Blancos defender Antonio Rudiger alleged that Pachuca defender Gustavo Cabral racially abused him.

The Real Madrid defender alerted the referee, Ramon Abatti, who then performed FIFA’s protocol gesture to signal alleged racial abuse. Abatti made an X gesture after being notified, which is the standard to flag a racist incident. Pachuca manager 

“Toni has told us something, the FIFA protocol is activated and an investigation is underway,” Alonso said following the match. “We believe him. It is unacceptable.”

The Pachuca defender denied the use of racial language, but he did state that he insulted Rudiger by calling him a “f—-ing coward.”

“It was a fight, we collided, he said that I hit him with my hand, and then there was an argument and the referee made the sign of racism,” Cabral said. “In Argentina, we say “f—ing coward” all the time. I told him the same thing.”

Jaime Lozono, Pachuca’s coach, said that he hadn’t seen the incident but that he will need to talk to him to determine what happened, while also asserting that this has never happened with Cabral or any of his Pachuca players.

According to The Athletic, Rudiger’s camp stood their ground in asserting that it was racist language.

CBS Sports will have more information as it becomes available.